


Voyages

by BreakfastTea



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-09-12
Packaged: 2018-07-26 16:44:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7581928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreakfastTea/pseuds/BreakfastTea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Enterprise finds an ancient time travel device from a distant region of space, but when Chekov demonstrates how it works, Jim finds himself thrown through time - and into another reality.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Wasn't Beyond brilliant? I had so much fun, and naturally my brain's turned back to fanfiction. I know this isn't an update on Alone in the Cold, but I promise new chapters are coming. I just wanted to share this first.
> 
> Also, no Beyond spoilers here. Not *really*. I may hint at tiny details in other chapters, but nothing huge.

“Time travel?” Jim repeated. He glanced at the readout on the PADD the team had given him. “I’m not sure about this.

“Keptin, it is nothing to worry about! The alien technology isn’t so powerful,” Chekov said, bouncing with eagerness. “We’re not going to send a person.”

“Good.” Because they’d all seen what time travel could do. The whole concept sat very poorly in Jim’s stomach. He glanced at the device again, then at the readings scanners had picked up. So far, so innocent. They’d found it on an empty ship adrift in space two days ago. The ship itself now sat in the shuttlebay. The device was one of many oddities various departments were investigating. Uhura was especially busy with the old ship’s computer, translating its logs and starcharts. An abandoned and adrift ship proved to be a great mystery to occupy the crew, especially a craft with unfamiliar design specs. Its layout was designed for a tall species, but one with advanced psychic abilities, if Uhura’s translations were correct. It was times like these Jim loved his job, when everyone was working together to push back the known boundaries of knowledge.

Jim read another few paragraphs of Chekov’s report. “Says here you’ve had success with objects.”

“Yes, sir,” Chekov said. “We’ve sent a few objects into ze future and caught up with them hours later.”

“My coffee was still warm,” said Lieutenant Grata, another member of the team. She grinned brightly. “Kind of exciting, right?”

“The idea is not without merits,” Spock said.

Jim shot him a look. “Really?”

“It is, however, inherently dangerous and poses a credible threat to history as we know it.”

“The device is barely more than a toy,” Grata insisted.

Jim didn’t speak. Maybe he was overreacting, maybe he was giving in to paranoia, but he didn’t like it, at all. “Shut it down,” he ordered. He handed the PADD back to Chekov. “It’s good work, amazing really, but we know what happens when we mess around with time.”

“Can we show you?” Chekov asked. Disappointment glowed in his eyes. “Just a little thing?”

“Chekov…”

“Please, sir, just one.”

Jim looked at Spock, eyes pleading for _help, please don’t let the youngest Ensign work puppy-dog eye magic on me_. Spock merely twitched an eyebrow.

Jim sighed. “Fine, one tiny, itty bitty little thing.”

Chekov grinned happily. “It will be very good, Keptin!”

They turned their attention to the alien device. It had its own power supply and remote monitoring to keep it from compromising any section of the ship should it go rogue. A few blue-shirted scientists ran scans and monitored the device’s output. It was small, about the size of a coffee table. The top section hovered above a bright white panel. It certainly wasn’t big enough to send most fully grown people anywhere, but Jim hoped Keenser kept his distance.

“What would you like to send into the future?” Chekov asked.

“Uh…” Jim had only one thing to hand. He lifted his gold shirt over his head and placed it in the device as directed. “How long ‘til I get that back?”

“Two hours and thirty six minutes,” called a scientist from the other side of the lab.

“Okay,” Jim said, crossing his arms. “Where will it be?”

“Here,” said Chekov. “At least, it should be. Occasionally things… ah… wander.”

“You had best pick up another shirt before reporting back to the bridge,” Spock commented. “Your black shirt is unacceptable for duty.”

Jim threw him a disbelieving look. “Seriously?”

“Starfleet regulations state –”

“We’re good, Spock.” Nearly three years in space and his First Officer had yet to lighten up.

“Are you certain you wish to end the experiments?” Spock asked as Jim watched the scientists work. “The possibilities are intriguing.”

“You really wanna go creating an _alternate_ alternate universe?” Jim asked. Unease slithered through him. Ambassador Spock’s intentions may have been noble, and he never could’ve guessed at what would happen, but the thought of potentially creating another universe sent chills through him.

“While it is illogical to speculate, we would have an opportunity to save worlds and lives.”

Even though the idea of returning Vulcan to its rightful place was tempting, the other implications turned Jim’s stomach. “You’re talking about playing god.”

“That is a human concept. I am merely suggesting you should not close your mind to the possibilities.”

Jim shrugged. “I just think we should be more careful about these things. History isn’t meant to be meddled with. It ends with misery.”

“We’re ready,” called Chekov.

Jim stepped back. “Go for it.”

The device came online with a musical hum, its beats pulsing rhythmically. The scientists called out to each other, confirming everything was operating within expected parameters.

“Activating time jump sequence!” Grata called.

“Understood!” Chekov said.

Jim watched the device’s output on a screen. Everything seemed normal, the energy output at safe and controllable levels. A beam of light shot out of the device and slammed into his shirt. His stomach lurched, and so did the energy readings. They went off the charts. Alerts sounded out. Something was wrong.

“Shut it down!” he shouted. “Don’t –”

Light blinded Jim. He brought his hands up to cover his eyes. Everything shimmered. People reached out to grab him, only to fade from view. Shadows and figures twirled around him, spinning and coiling. He felt sick, his stomach tangled in knots. Voices shouted, but their words were distorted, too slow, drawn out and incomprehensible. The light faded. He teetered back and forth, far from steady. He gasped for breath. He felt awful, like the worst hangover of his life. The deck beneath him was unsteady, shifting under his boots. Jim blinked his dazzled eyes hard, his hazy vision full of flares and afterimages. He staggered backwards, his hip catching the edge of a workstation.

He cleared his throat, hoping he wasn’t about to be sick, or, worse, pass out. “Was that supposed to happen, Chekov?”

“Can I help you?”

Vision working itself into something more usable, Jim stared. Light and dark resolved itself into people and things.  He knew the voice but it was different to what he expected, and it certainly wasn’t Chekov. It wasn’t the lab anymore. It looked like a bridge, but not the one belonging to the _Enterprise._ It was too small, too grey. Jim stared at the blue jumpsuit clad people staring right back at him. He blinked hard and rubbed his eyes, but when he looked again they were all still there.

This wasn’t a dream.

He held out a hand as if to ward them off. “No, no, no, no. No way!”

“Security to the bridge!”

The tallest figure in the centre of the bridge took a step towards him, hands held out. “We’re not going to hurt you,” he said calmly, hands held out peacefully. “My name is –”  

“I know who you are, but this is impossible.” Jim backed up a step, his legs barely holding him. He clung onto the workstation. The deck tilted beneath him. His stomach churned, his head throbbed. He felt like he’d been thrown into a vicious whirlpool. “You can’t be… you can’t…”

Eyes rolling, Jim blacked out.

“Whoa!”

He came to as he fell into the speaker’s arms. The man who _could not be_ who Jim thought he was lowered him to the ground. “Hoshi, contact Doctor Phlox.”

“Yes, sir.”

Blurry faces leaned over him. He couldn’t speak past the agony in his head or the sickness gathered in his stomach. Everything was spinning. Holding his eyes open took everything he had.

“Captain, he appears to be in a severe state of mental shock.” That was a Vulcan if ever he’d heard one.

Couldn’t be… They couldn’t be who he thought they were. This was a dream. Jim couldn’t have…

A new face appeared. “He looks human. Is he?”

“Scans would suggest so, Ensign Mayweather.”

“How’d he get here?”

“Perhaps he’ll be able to answer that when he isn’t so unwell,” said the calm, male voice.

Was it really him? Was he really _Archer_?

Senses succumbing, Jim passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

Jim opened his eyes and found himself staring at a grey and white ceiling. Bright lights shone all over. He heard the hum of engines and, somewhere not too far away, the buzz of quiet voices. He took a deep breath. The familiar tang of antiseptic filled his lungs.

The medbay, great. Chekov’s little experiment had landed Jim in the medbay. Bones wouldn’t let him live it down. He frowned over the dregs of memory filtering through his mind. He thought he’d seen Archer as a young man. Weird. Maybe the time travel device had inspired dreams of the past.

“Bones?” Jim carefully pushed himself upright. His eyes widened at the sight before him. “What the hell?”

He wasn’t aboard the _Enterprise_.

“Ah, you’re awake!”

And that definitely wasn’t Bones.

“How do you feel, young man?”

Jim knew the face even if he’d never met the Denobulan smiling cheerily at him.

“Well?” asked the doctor. “Do you have a voice?”

“I’m… I’m fine…” Jim stared at the small sickbay. He pinched himself. “I’m not dreaming.”

"Indeed not,” said the doctor. “Do you know where you are?”

 Jim nodded like an overeager student. “This is the NX-01, isn’t it? This is the _Enterprise_!”

 A new voice joined the conversation. “It is. How do you know that?”

 Jim looked and saw an incredibly young Admiral Archer strolling towards him, face set firmly. Jim laughed, shaking his head. “Are you sure I’m not dreaming?” he asked weakly. He really had materialised on their bridge. How was that possible?

“I assure you, this is the waking world,” said the doctor. _Doctor Phlox_ , Jim’s brain calmly informed him. “You suffered a severe mental shock, but I think you’re through the worst of it. I’ve run a few scans. Your body chemistry is registering some slightly unusual responses, but that’s probably down to how you arrived here.”

“I need to know how you got aboard this ship,” Archer said. His voice was gentle but stern. Not quite like the fear-of-divine-wrath admiral Jim had come to know.

“It was an accident,” Jim said. “I’m from the future.”   

“The future?” Archer asked. “How can you be sure?”

“I’m sure, sir, believe me. I studied this ship extensively at the Academy. It’s –” He just about stopped himself from giving anything away. “Sorry. What year is it?”

“2152,” Archer replied. “So, are you another guest from the Thirty-First century?”

“Ah, no.” 2152? Jim knew his history, and knew Archer was still a captain and this was the early days of the NX-01’s mission. Before the Xindi. Jim smiled at the thought of it, at how unknown it all was for this crew, at the adventures ahead of them.

And the tragedies too. A sudden temptation to blurt out a list of warnings rushed over him. The words crept onto his tongue. He swallowed them down.

Archer noticed the struggle. “When are you from?”

“2260.”

“Not so far away then,” said Archer.

“No… but far enough that we probably shouldn’t talk about it.”

“A wise man,” Archer said.

Jim smiled. He wasn’t sure Archer had ever said anything like that to him before. _You’re a pain in the ass with too much energy, Jim. Now quit badgering me and take my dog for a walk. A long one. Five kilometres. Tire him out and then I’ll think about telling you a few stories from the glory days._

“I noticed the logo on your shirt.” Archer stared at the delta shield on Jim’s undershirt. “You’re with Starfleet?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Rank?”

Jim’s lessons on lessening damage to the timeline screamed at him. Time travel hadn’t been a huge part of the curriculum back at the Academy, but there’d been enough trouble over the years to make Time Travel Survival 101 a required course. And being back this far meant he was in a pre- _Kelvin_ timeline. That could make things even more dangerous.

“Rank?” Archer said again, harsher this time.

Jim’s spine straightened automatically. Now the guy sounded like himself. “Sorry, sir, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to share any information that could compromise history.”

“Alright then, how about a name?”

Jim shook his head. “Sorry.”

Archer fixed him with a hard stare. “I don’t really want to call you ‘hey, you’ for however long you’re stuck with us.”

Would a name really hurt that much? “It’s Jim.”

“Jim. Nice to meet you. I’m Captain Jonathan Archer of the _Enterprise._ So, did you mean to time travel or is this an accident?”

“Accident, definitely an accident. Alien device gone wrong, you know how it goes.”

“Which would account for some of these readings,” Doctor Phlox said. “There’s something unusual going on with your cells, but I can’t put my finger on it, and I’m afraid I don’t have anything onboard that could properly identify what it is.”

“Is he a danger to the crew?” Archer asked.

“None whatsoever. He’s not even a danger to himself.”

“I know several people who would disagree with you on that,” Jim said.

Phlox chuckled. “Perhaps, but you aren’t infectious. You are, essentially, in perfect health.”

Archer returned his attention to Jim. “Any idea if we can help return you to where you belong?”

Jim shook his head. “I’m as clueless as you are.” His stomach gave a loud grumble. He blushed brightly. “Sorry, sir.”

Archer turned to Phlox. “Doctor, is there any reason for Jim to stay here?”

“No. In fact, a good meal is exactly what I’d prescribe.” He gave Jim a look only disapproving doctors seemed capable of. “I recognise the signs of an overworked, undernourished human when I see one. You should take better care of yourself. You’ve clearly gone a long time without eating.”

“Yeah, like a hundred years.”

“Young man, this is not a joke,” Phlox said.

Uncharacteristically shy, Jim looked away, cheeks flushing slightly. He just about resisted the urge to swing his legs back and forth. “I get busy.”

“That’s no reason to neglect your health.”

“Come on,” said Archer. “It’s about lunch time anyway. You can join me.”

“Will you tell me about the places you’ve seen?” Jim asked, sliding off the bed. The dizziness hadn’t entirely dissipated, but the world quickly righted itself. “You’ll tell me, right?”

Archer laughed. “You probably know more about it than I do.”

“Yeah, but it’s different hearing it from the people themselves.” Jim grinned unabashedly. “Captain Archer, sir, this is probably one of the best accidents I’ve ever had. I intend to make the most of it.”

Archer led Jim through the _Enterprise’s_ narrow corridors. Jim knew his way around; he’d visited the ship in its museum countless times during his time at the academy. He let Archer give him the tour without interrupting. To the ad- _captain,_ this was his pride and joy. And, right now, it was the most advanced ship at Earth’s disposal.

To think it would fit inside Jim’s _Enterprise._ What would a ship one hundred years into Jim’s future be like?

“And here’s the mess hall.”

People stopped and stared. Some smiled and waved. Jim nodded back. He tried not to stare at the faces of the crew he recognised from his history classes. They were so young. So alive. A buzz of sadness fluttered in his chest. Time would get the better of everyone eventually.

Archer showed Jim to the captain’s table. It was in a tiny room, the table big enough for four at a push. To Jim’s amazement, and fanboyish glee, Sub-Commander T’Pol and the ship’s Chief Engineer, Tucker, joined them. Jim knew he was gushing, but he didn’t care. These people were key to the foundations of the Federation, not that he could tell them that. To be in their presence like this made their legends all the more real. Jim’s food went cold as he listened to their tales of adventure and, just as often, misadventure.

“Don’t you know all these stories?” Tucker asked him.

“Yeah, but it’s better hearing them from you guys rather than official logs or whatever. Some details are always left out.”

“Leaving out details would be against regulations,” T’Pol said.

“Doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen,” Jim said. “Besides, when my chief of engineering hears I met you, Commander Tucker, he’s gonna be so jealous.”

“Your chief of engineering?” Archer said, a gleam in his eye.

_Shit._ “Oh, you know, the guy on the ship… that I’m a member of the crew on.”

Tucker snorted. “Just any old member, huh?”

“Yup, that’s me. Lowly Jim.”

Archer cocked an eyebrow. “Uh huh.”

“Oh, I believe him,” Tucker said.

“As Doctor Phlox believes you to be twenty-seven Terran years of age, you would be remarkably young to be a captain,” T’Pol said.

Jim laughed awkwardly. “Ain’t that the truth.”

“It would seem unlikely you possess the experience to adequately lead a crew into uncharted space,” she added.

“Ouch,” Jim said.

“So how fast can your ship go, Jim?” Tucker asked.

“Eeeeeh, fast.”

“Oh, c’mon, how will my knowing damage history?”

Jim shrugged. “Sorry.”

“How about the ship’s name. Can you tell me that?”

“Definitely not.”

“The captain’s name? Don’t suppose it’s a Tucker, is it?”

“Sorry,” Jim said again.

“Sorry it’s not or sorry you can’t tell me?”

“Sorry I can’t tell you.”

“Man, you’re no fun at all!”

Jim laughed. “I can’t give it all away. You guys have a whole galaxy to explore. You don’t want me spoiling the fun.”

“S’pose not,” Tucker said. He shoved a mouthful of potato into his mouth. “Can’t you tell us even a little thing? Something we can look forward to?”

“No way.”

They ate in silence for a moment. Jim marvelled at the freshly prepared food. Captain’s tables weren’t much of a deal in his time, but maybe he could change that. After all, he was so determined to make sure every member of his crew was known as a person, not merely as a name, a serial number or a rank.

“This is such an honour,” Jim said once his plate was clean. “I can’t believe how lucky I am to come back here. You’re all the stuff of legend.”

“That’s nice to know,” Archer said.

“I probably shouldn’t tell you that kind of thing,” Jim admitted.

“We’re making history here,” Archer said. “Not too much of a spoiler to tell us we’re legendary.”

“You should know I do not believe you to be a time traveller,” T’Pol said. And Jim thought Spock could be uptight. “Although Doctor Phlox confirms you are human, and that your clothes do not appear to have been manufactured in any known time period, I doubt the veracity of your claims.”

“It’s a good thing I’m used to Vulcans,” Jim said breezily.

“Still around in your time, are they?” Trip asked.

Jim nodded smoothly, revealing nothing.

“Bossy as ever?”

“Bossy and nitpicky, yup,” Jim said, wondering how Spock would consider being summarised in such a way. “Talented, smart and damned handy to have in a crisis too.” There, that sounded better.

Archer raised his glass. “To Vulcans.”

T’Pol cocked an eyebrow. So, that wasn’t just a Spock thing. Jim grinned and raised his glass. “To Vulcans.”

It came over him without warning. The glass slipped from his fingers. Dizziness assailed him. He staggered to his feet.

“You all right there, kid?” Tucker was on his feet too, standing at Jim’s side, hands held out, ready to catch if necessary.

Jim felt dinner rising. He swallowed hard and took a steadying breath. It didn’t help. Something whistled in his ears, a terrible pressure growing in his head. Arms grabbed him, holding him steady. But they slipped away. The deck disappeared from beneath him and he fell into the bright white light.

He hit something hard, gasping at the shock. Heart fluttering in his chest, Jim took several steadying breaths before he risked opening his eyes.

Another bridge. Still not his. It wasn’t big enough. Not quite bright enough.

So why the hell was he staring at Spock, then Uhura, then Scotty, then Sulu, then Chekov and then…

Oh.

“I’m Captain James T. Kirk of the USS – ”

“ _Enterprise,_ I know, me too. Except not this _Enterprise._ ” Jim looked around. What was with their shirts? The colours were several shades of not quite right. And the other him… what was with the green wraparound?  “It’s turning into one of those days.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you next Monday for the next chapter :D


	3. Chapter 3

Everyone stared in wide-eyed surprise. Except Spock. He just did a Vulcan eyebrow lift and examined Jim like he was something under a microscope. The bridge might have been much more compact than Jim’s, but it was no less busy.

“How did I get here?” Jim asked.

"That’s what I’d like to know,” said the other Kirk, brown eyes taking him in, disapproval visible.

“Security to the bridge,” Uhura called into her station.

“What? Security? Uhura, it’s fine. I’m not going to do anything!” Jim held his arms up. “See? Nothing. This is all just a very weird misunderstanding. I’m not a threat to you, I promise.”

“You’re certainly chatty for a duplicate,” the other Kirk said.

“I’m having a really weird day,” Jim replied. “And it’s only getting weirder.” So, first time travel and now, what, universe travel? His stomach gave a miserable grumble. “Ah, what year is this?”

“Year?” Kirk asked.

“Yeah, year. I just left the twenty-second century behind and I really, really hoped that was gonna be the last of it because time travel sucks, okay? It’s horrendous.” Jim caught himself on Sulu and Chekov’s chairs. He pressed a hand to his mouth, willing his stomach contents to stay down. The bridge slowly shifted to the side. Not good. Not good at all.

“It is 2269,” Spock said.

Jim heaved, just about missing Sulu. “Sorry,” he gasped.

“Uh, it’s all right, sir.”

The doors at the back of the bridge opened, and two security guards entered. “Escort our guest to sickbay,” Kirk ordered. “And keep him confined there.”

And that was how Jim found himself in another sickbay, facing another Bones. “Dammit, Jim, what did you do to yourself?” He peered closely at him. “Wait, what happened to your eyes?”

“I’m not, um, your… er…” The next round of vomit hit Bones’ boots. “Sorry.”

“This isn’t the captain, Doctor McCoy,” said one of the security guards. “He just appeared on the bridge. We’re not sure who he is.”

“Not our captain? That explains the eyes.”

A hypo jabbed against Jim’s neck. “Ah! Bones!”

“What, you wanna keep vomiting?”

“No, but you could give a guy a warning!”

“Sounds like Kirks complain no matter where they’re from.”

Unfortunately, it rapidly became clear that the Kirk of this universe and Jim didn’t share allergies. By the time Bones restored Jim’s breathing to normal, and the hideous itchy rash faded, Kirk and Spock had joined them in sickbay. Kirk dismissed the security guards. They left wordlessly. Kirk, Jim was sure, purposefully avoided looking in his direction. Maybe he knew how much Jim hated being stuck on a biobed.

Bones spoke quietly with Kirk and Spock. Jim felt like he was having an out of body experience. He had to keep pinching himself as a reminder he was both awake and very, very real. Staring at Spock, Jim realised he was actually _Ambassador_ Spock and all of a sudden Jim felt quite content to not get the hell off the biobed. Everything chimed with a bizarre sense of déjà vu, like he’d been here before, and yet he hadn’t, not really, not as himself. This was the _other_ universe, the right one, the one where Dad hadn’t died and Vulcan still hung in space. The echoes of the mindmeld from Delta Vega whispered through his mind.

“You with us, kid?” Bones asked.

Startled out of his thoughts, Jim looked up and saw three familiar faces looking down at him. Blinking hard, Jim scratched absently at his arm. “I can’t tell you anything,” he said. “I can’t. I know I’m from your past, but it’s all a secret, I can’t go into details and you, sir, can’t make me.”

All of them made faces (or raised eyebrows) at that.

“He might be chattier than you, Jim, but he’s you. DNA matches yours perfectly, even with the allergies and eyes. There is one other discrepancy.” Bones looked at Kirk. “He’s technically older than you. Roughly two months, give or take a few days.”

They both looked to Jim for an explanation. He just shrugged.

“Never seen anything like it,” Bones said. “He’s not a clone or a transporter copy or an alien in disguise. He is you, just with a couple of alterations. And there’s something else in him that I can’t quite place. It’s like he’s emitting a low level of radiation, but it’s not like any kind of radiation I’ve seen before. He’s –”

“He is in the room, Bones,” Jim said.

Bones swung around and jabbed a finger in Jim’s direction. “He is a goddamn medical nightmare allergic to things he shouldn’t be, according to your medical records.”

“His medical records.” Jim pointed at Kirk. “Not mine.”

“What is the cause of the allergies?” Spock asked.

“Ask him,” Bones said.

“You’re the doctor,” Jim shot back. “What is it you always say? You’ll accept my medical opinion when I’m qualified to give it.”

Kirk failed to hide a smile. Bones looked ready to explode. Spock merely stood off to one side, looking contemplative.

“I can’t tell you. I’ve travelled through time.” His whole life was on another course because of it. “I know things I can’t share.” 

“Is he a danger to the crew?” Kirk asked. “The radiation?”

“Like I said, it’s an incredibly low level of radiation. He may talk their ears off –”

“I will not!”

“– but he isn’t carrying any pathogens. Feel free to give him a tour.”

“Give us a minute,” Kirk said.

“Doctor McCoy, perhaps you could show me the radiation readings,” Spock said. “I may be able to better explain them, and find a way to return this Kirk to his rightful place.”

“You’ll let me know what you find, right?” Jim asked. “I mean, it’s my radiation after all.”

“Sure thing, Jim,” Bones said.

Spock and Bones walked off. Kirk regarded Jim. “You’re right about this being a strange day.”

“Trust me, however weird yours is, mine’s weirder. I guess this is what I get for letting Chekov play with alien devices he shouldn’t be touching.”

“Chekov?” Kirk frowned at him. “You’re already on the _Enterprise_? I’ve been told I don’t look my age, but if you’re in your thirties, I need to know your secret.”

“I’m twenty-seven,” Jim said. “And yeah, Chekov. It’s all a bit… different.”

“How different?”

“Different different.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s all you’re getting.” Jim stopped for a second. “This is so weird. I’m actually having an argument with myself.”

Kirk laughed. “Your older, no doubt wiser, self too.”

“Technically older,” Jim said. “I’ve got two months on you.”

“You’re clearly living a very different life to me,” Kirk said.

“Not as different as you might think.”

Kirk shook his head. “I wasn’t aboard the _Enterprise_ in my twenties.”

“If it’s any consolation, plenty of people don’t want me to be either.”

Kirk laughed. “Well, whatever you did, I’m sure you deserve your ship.”

Jim stared at Kirk and found his (technically) older self smiling gently. Strange. He hadn’t expected such an easy meeting. When he’d thought of the universe his had skewed off from, he thought of it as being so perfect they’d see anything else as being completely wrong. And yet here he was, meeting his alternate self who seemed amused and weirdly happy to meet him.

“Thanks,” he said. “That’s…. I really appreciate it.”

“So, you went back to the previous century?”

“Yup, met Archer. Well, I mean, I met him when he was younger. When he was captain of his _Enterprise._ Man, that thing was amazing for its time.”

“How far into their mission were they?”

“Not far. It was so hard not accidentally blurting it all out. They hadn’t even met the Xindi yet.”

Kirk nodded. “I met Archer when I graduated, shook his hand like everyone else, but other than that, the guy was just another Starfleet legend.”

“Really?”

Kirk looked at him. “You knew him better?”

Jim shrugged. “I walked his dog. Pike made me do it. Said something about learning respect. I lacked it, apparently.”

Genuine horror appeared on Kirk’s face. “Lacked respect?”

“You and I are pretty different,” Jim said. What would this guy think if he heard the whole _I dare you to do better_ bar talk that had led Jim to join Starfleet? No inspiration from Dad for Jim.

Kirk frowned at him. “How do you know?”

_Your Spock stuck it all in my head with a mindmeld which is kinda both in your future and our past._ “I just do. You’ll have to trust me.”

“If I didn’t trust myself, who could I trust?”

Jim stared at Kirk. “Wiser,” he said. “You’re definitely wiser.”

“You’ll get there,” Kirk said, patting his arm.

“Am I just gonna wake up one day feeling wise or is Spock gonna rub off on me?”

“Afraid of a little logic, Jim?”

“Not at all. I’m afraid of what Uhura will do if I start quoting her boyfriend back at her.”

“Lieutenant Uhura and Mr Spock are... together, where you’re from?”

Jim facepalmed. “Shit.”

“Don’t worry about it. I won’t tell them.” Kirk chuckled. “I wonder what other discrepancies there are.”

“Bones is just the same,” Jim said fondly. “It’s comforting to know Leonard McCoy will be a grumpy but caring doctor no matter where he is.”

“It’s nice to know Jim Kirk will always be aboard an _Enterprise_ too.”

“One way or another.” No way had _this_ guy stowed away.

“I must say I am curious about your way. Captain at twenty-seven. That’s impressive.”

Once again, Academy-trained alarm bells chimed. “Let’s just agree not to discuss anything other than your ship, okay. And under no circumstances report anything I say to Starfleet or the crew.”

“Agreed. Feel up to a tour?” Kirk asked. “If Bones says it’s okay, I’ll show you around.”

“You’re gonna ask Bones? We’re not just gonna go?”

“I’m not after his permission, I’m after his advice. I want to be sure your time travelling isn’t contagious.”

“Oh, right.” Jim flushed. “Sorry, that was stupid of me.”

Brown eyes (weird, weird, _weird._ Had Ambassador Spock ever mentioned that?) regarded him coolly. “Given your bad day, I’m prepared to forgive you.”

For the first time in his life, Jim felt slightly intimidated by himself.

Bones gave them permission. Spock commented that the radiation lingering in Jim’s cells was down to the time travel. “It will require further testing to uncover if it will cause further trouble for you.”

Tricorder in hand, Bones ran another scan. “The radiation is increasing.” He looked at Jim. “How do you feel?”

“Fine,” Jim said. “Can you utilise it to send me back to where I belong?”

“It would be the best chance you have of doing so, although as you made a leap in time without the aid of external forces, such as another time travel device, it is possible you will simply return to your own time and universe once the radiation reaches critical mass. We will continue looking into the matter,” Spock said.

“And if you start feeling worse, get back here on the double,” Bones said. “I know what Kirks are like. Don’t push yourself.”

“Aye, aye, sir,” Jim said.

Jim followed Kirk out. The ship was quite different, not quite as large and definitely not as well armed. But, of course, in this universe they hadn’t come across the likes of Nero. They’d simply ventured out into the universe and waited to see what came next. The universe hadn’t bitten back. Jim wondered what Section Thirty-One was like in this universe. He wondered what Khan would be like. Ambassador Spock knew of him, but he refused to divulge the details, even with the man safely back in cold storage. Jim got the feeling it caused the elderly Vulcan terrible pain, and he vowed never to speak of it again.

Kirk, like Jim, knew every single inch of the place and he spoke with love and pride. They returned to the bridge. The crew gave him friendly nods, smiling politely. The distance felt odd, the lack of a connection to all these familiar faces leaving him as unsteady as the time jumps did. He’d always felt sorry for Ambassador Spock, but now he really appreciated how awful it must be.

“She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” Kirk said.

“Definitely,” Jim agreed. “A ship to be proud of.” He patted a nearby bulkhead. “I –”

The ship disappeared. Jim fell through whiteness, ears overwhelmed with noise. He clamped his hands to his head, the pain incredible. He cried out, the sound swallowed by everything around him.

His back smacked something hard. His heart lurched as he thudded to a complete stop. Gasps surrounded him, accompanied by the tinkle of smashed glass. Head lolling, his aching eyes saw a range of people, all in uniform, all staring at him.

He didn’t even get a chance to speak before he passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, lovely people! Where oh where will Jim find himself next? See you all next Monday for more :D


	4. Chapter 4

“You may want to sit down for this one, Jean-Luc.”

“I know who he appears to be, but I’m a little lost as to how he found himself in Ten Forward.”

“He didn’t beam in?”

“No.”

“Ion storms?”

“I checked in with Sisko. Nothing of the sort has been detected in the region.”

“Strange. There are some anomalies that don’t match up with his medical records, but nothing too out of the ordinary.”

“He’s human?”

“Absolutely.”

“No chance this is Q playing one of his games?”

“None.”

“So it is him.”

“I believe so.”

“I’d better be on my best behaviour.”

Jim opened his eyes with a groan. Another bed, another unfamiliar ceiling, but all the smells and beeps of a sickbay.

Dammit.

The dizziness didn’t go away this time, and neither did the nausea, but he forced himself upright anyway and saw a lot of beige.

“Ah, you’re awake." 

Jim turned and saw a tall redheaded woman enter. He didn’t recognise her or the style of her uniform. Behind her was a bald man in a red and black uniform. His expression was composed, but he couldn’t hide the curiosity in his gaze.

“Do you know where you are?” the woman asked gently.

“Sickbay,” Jim said. “They’re all the same.” He raised a hand to his aching head. “Which sickbay is this?”

The woman opened her mouth, but the man spoke before she could. “We’ll get to that momentarily.” He stepped forward, gazing intently. Jim’s spine straightened. “Who are you?”

“Before I tell you that it’d help if I knew what year this was.”

“2373,” the older man said.

Jim nodded. “This is the future. You already know more about me than I do, sir. I’m James T. Kirk, captain of the USS _Enterprise._ It was 2260 when I left, so don’t spoil me for anything after that.”

The bald man stared intensely. “You cannot be who you say you are.”

Jim stared at him. “Excuse me?”

“Captain Kirk didn’t assume control of the _Enterprise_ until –”

Jim held up a hand to silence him. “I’m time travelling and universe hopping. Let’s cut to the chase. I’m gonna assume the Kirk you know of is the one I just met, that nice guy with the friendly smile and all the wisdom of being in his thirties.” 

"That's the man," Crusher said.

“I’m not him. Not exactly. I'm from an alternate universe, the origins of which I can’t tell you about either, but stuff happened, things changed and here I am.” Jim gave the man a friendly smile. It was not returned. “Care to introduce yourself?”

“I am Captain Jean Luc Picard of the… of Starfleet.”

“Captain? Why are you in red? And did you say Picard as in _Chateau Picard_ , because – ”

This time, Picard silenced him. “That is unimportant. I’m rather more curious to know how you arrived here and caused such a stir in Ten Forward.”

“Alien time travel device. It went wrong, and now I’m hopping randomly through time. This is my third stop,” Jim said. He looked to the doctor. “Your predecessors discovered radiation in my cells that could be the cause.”

“Predecessors?” the doctor asked.

“Oh, Doctor Phlox and Bones – er, Doctor McCoy.”

“Phlox?” Picard said. “You went back to the NX-01?”

“Yeah, and trust me, Archer is a badass whether he’s a captain or an admiral.”

Picard merely cocked an eyebrow at _badass._

“Can you tell me anything else that might explain how you got here?” the doctor asked.

“No. Oh, sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Doctor Beverly Crusher. It’s lovely to meet you, sir.”

“Why can’t you tell us about your universe?” Picard asked.

Jim rubbed his head. Here he was, in what his Starfleet Command had labelled the _Prime Universe,_ and yet he knew something of their future. He couldn’t risk saying a word that could alter their actions. To do so could literally wipe out Jim and his universe’s existence. The fact that he hadn’t disappeared meant he hadn’t changed history yet… or maybe he had and he’d be sending himself back to a different alternate universe. His headache gave an extra thud as he tied himself up in knots. “It’s complicated. Ambassador Spock may have exaggerated here and there, but – ”

“Ambassador Spock?” Picard interrupted. “Isn’t he your First Officer?”

Jim blanched and scrabbled to cover himself. “Like I said, I’m not from your universe. Things changed. You’ll have to believe me when I say I can’t tell you anything.”

“Not even about yourself?” Crusher asked.

Jim and Picard stared at her.

“I’m just going to finish running these scans. Perhaps I’ll get a read on the radiation.” Crusher retreated to her office.

Picard straightened his uniform. “Your appearance created quite a stir among the crew, Captain.” He had a slight Scottish tinge to his grand voice. “You’ve become the topic of many conversations. People are a little starstruck.”

Jim looked at the older man, the older captain. He was stern, but not entirely unamused. He reminded Jim of his more senior lecturers at the Academy, the kind that inspired respect through simple poise and bearing. “I hope I didn’t cause any kind of disruption to your mission, sir.”

Picard’s lips twitched. “Hearing you call me ‘sir’ is strange,” he said. “To me and my crew, you are the stuff of legend. A relic of a different age.”

Being called a relic when he hadn’t even hit his thirties stung a little. From where he was sitting, the far older Picard looked to be the relic. Jim just about kept himself from voicing that particular nugget.

Picard continued. “As we are now in your future, I must tread carefully. Upsetting history would be foolhardy.”

“Yeah,” Jim said, enjoying Picard’s way with words. “Extremely.”

“And for your own sake, I must confine you to sickbay for now. I suspect the entirety of my crew would mob you if you were to set outside these doors. You crash landed on my First Officer’s table.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t think Commander Riker minded. In fact, I think he’ll be sharing the story with every single person he’ll meet from now on.”

Jim facepalmed.

“It’s not just protecting you. We’re docked at Deep Space Nine, and I know Captain Sisko won’t thank me for bringing the temporal investigators down on his head again. It’ll be bad enough having them here once they pick up on your presence.”

Deep Space _Nine_? “You’ve travelled a lot further than we have.”

“We’re a long way out of your time, Captain Kirk. Imagine the changes between your time and one hundred and ten years earlier.”

Point taken. “I’m a relic,” Jim murmured. He hated to think of it that way. He hated the idea of his brilliant crew and their beautiful ship as _relics_ of a previous age. They were state of the art. They were pushing boundaries. He might love history, but he lived in the moment. The future was supposed to be unknown. It wasn’t supposed to smack you in the face and say you were from a lost age.

“Are you well?” Picard asked.

Jim’s head gave a thud. He pressed a hand to his skull. He laughed mirthlessly. “Time travelling this way really sucks.”

Crusher returned. “Sucks is an understatement, Captain Kirk. Your body is experiencing high levels of shock. Your blood pressure is far too low, and your brain is struggling with the temporal changes.”

Jim’s stomach flipped. “Tell me about it.”

Crusher lifted a hypospray and loaded it. “I’m going to give you a few medications to help balance everything out. It should help.”

He jerked out of the way. “No, don’t. I have a lot of allergies. I don’t want to set any of them off.”

Crusher frowned. “I read over your medical records. There’s nothing in there to –”

“Just trust me, okay?” Jim said. “Those aren’t my records. Found that out the hard way.”

“Perhaps I should leave you to it,” Picard said. “Doctor Crusher, keep me updated. Captain Kirk, an absolute pleasure.”

Jim sat as straight as his head would allow. “The pleasure’s all mine, Captain Picard.”

The older man left. Jim caught sight, and sound, of the crowd gathered outside sickbay. Picard’s sharp bark sent them scattering.

“I’m not sure I’d survive working under him,” Jim admitted.                    

“Oh, his bark is worse than his bite,” Beverly said, waving a scanner over Jim’s head. “Fascinating. Your whole body is slightly out of sync with time and space. It’s almost as if you’ve come unstuck. There is radiation, but its only trace amounts.” She frowned at her tricorder. “I may need to run a few more scans to see if there’s anything else lurking inside you.”

“Any idea how to restick me?” How was that for scientific terminology?

“I don’t, but I know a few people who might.” She tapped her delta shield. It chirped. “Doctor Crusher to Data. Could you come by sickbay? I have a problem that you may be able to help me with.”

“On my way, Doctor,” came the disembodied reply.

“That’s your communicator?” Jim marvelled. “Why didn’t we think of that?”

“Be sure not to copy it,” Crusher said. “Surely you remember your classes on how to respond in events of temporal disturbances.”

“Oh, I remember. Do nothing, and when you get back, say nothing,” Jim said grimly. His stomach gave a particularly bad lurch. “It’s like I can feel the ship spinning.”

“This should help. Don’t worry. You’re not allergic.” Crusher pressed a hypo to Jim’s neck. She was incredibly gentle, unlike other doctors Jim could name. “There. How do you feel?”

The spinning and nausea fell away to almost nothing. Only Jim’s slightly fuzzy sight remained a problem. “Better, thanks.”

“That’s alright. But seeing as you are from the past, and nothing you tell me can affect my own timeline, perhaps you could explain the changes. It’s not just the allergies. Your eyes are a different colour, and –”

“I’m from an alternate reality. You can label your scans with Alternate Jim Kirk if you want. That’s all I can say. I’m sorry.”

“That’s alright. It’s probably for the best.” Crusher smiled. “It’s my own curiosity getting the better of me.”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Jim said, smiling.                                                                                                                                                             

Crusher, it turned out, was quite the blusher. Maybe it was a redhead thing.

The doors to sickbay opened again and a man came in. His skin was a strange shade, his eyes yellow. Was he human? Or a species Jim had yet to encounter? “Greetings,” the man said. “I am Commander Data. You are –” His head twitched slightly. “Unexpectedly not who you appear to be. At least, not in this reality.”

“Uh…”

“Commander Data is an android,” Crusher said.

“Seriously?” The level of engineering required for such a feat astounded Jim. “Wow.”

“Do I detect incredulity in your tone, Captain?”

“Yes. The future’s looking impressive.” Ambassador Spock had been holding out on a few things, other than the whole transwarp beaming theory. And his Jellyfish ship. And –

“For now, let’s focus on getting you home,” Crusher said. She quickly filled Data in on her findings. “What do you think?” she asked.

“If the time travel is linked to the radiation you’ve detected, we may be able to recreate the device that brought Captain Kirk here in engineering. Failing that, we may find an alternate method to send him back to where he belongs.” Data broke out a tricorder. “Curious. These readings suggest the radiation is increasing.”

“What kind of radiation?” Crusher asked.

“Temporal,” Data said. “I hypothesise that once it reaches critical mass, this radiation is the force that propels him through time.”

“But how? There’s nothing in human physiology that could cause it. The radiation alone isn’t enough,” Crusher said.

“There is a wormhole nearby,” Data said. “It could be the reason why Captain Kirk jumped to this particular moment in time, but it doesn’t explain why he stopped off on other ships along the way, including our reality’s version of his own.”

“Contact Captain Sisko aboard DS9,” Crusher said. “Perhaps he has noticed some disturbances in the wormhole that could explain it.”

“The other _Enterprise_ was smaller,” Jim said, musing on the previous time jump he’d made. “And less shiny.”

“Smaller?” Crusher asked. “Can you explain why?”

“Yeah. No. I really can’t.”

“Perhaps someone meddled with time and caused the universe to split off into an alternate reality,” Data said. “It is possible that this Captain Kirk’s reality exists because of time travel committed within our universe. If someone were to travel back from our time to his, and cause an event that altered history as we know it, the laws of physics would allow for an alternate history to play out in its own universe, without upsetting the balance of our own.”

All eyes turned to Jim. He ignored them. He couldn’t tear his eyes off of Data. “That was amazing.”

“It is a logical answer,” Data said. “While there is the multiverse theory, your own reticence to explain the differences suggest you know something of our future, and you know better than to tell us.”

“An act in our future will rewrite our past?” Crusher said. “That surely explains why Captain Kirk found his way into our universe.”

“I have a number of theories, Doctor, but they will require a deep level scan of the captain’s body,” Data said.

“Understood,” Crusher said.

“I will speak with Captain Sisko and return to engineering. Perhaps Geordi and I can find a way to aim Captain Kirk’s next jump through time to send him back to his reality and time.”

“Do you know how long I have until I leap through time again?” Jim asked.

“I estimate you have approximately four hours remaining here before you will once again jump through time.”

Data left. Crusher gathered hyposprays. “A deep level scan will be uncomfortable, so I’ll give you a mild sedative for the duration.”

Jim settled himself on the bed. Crusher pressed a hypo to his neck. Sleep immediately tugged at him.

“Relax, Captain,” Crusher said. “By the time you wake up, hopefully we’ll have some answers.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire idea came around because I wanted to see Picard Prime and Kelvin!Jim interact. I feel like their different styles would make them clash a little, although they'd ultimately respect each other. I mean, can you imagine the stern and serious Picard meeting nu!Jim?


	5. Chapter 5

Jim awoke to a low level hum of conversation. He sat up carefully, blinking futilely to clear the blur from his eyes. Any hopes his jaunt through time was a dream were rapidly destroyed by his beige surroundings. He was in a small private room in Doctor Crusher’s sickbay, the door shut and the windows set to their privacy settings. He could hear voices talking on the other side. He slid off the bed and padded over to the door. It slid open. He found Crusher there, with Picard, Data, and two people he hadn’t met before; a shorter man in gold with a visor across his eyes, and a taller man in red.

“Ah, Captain Kirk,” Picard said, stepping away from the group. “How are you feeling?”

“Good, thanks.” So long as he ignored the slight tilt everything had and the nausea swirling in his empty stomach.

“We believe we have a way of solving your problem,” Picard said.

“And just in time, too,” said the man with a metallic visor around his eyes. He held out a hand. “I’m Geordi LaForge, Chief of Engineering. A pleasure to meet you, sir.”

 Jim shook Geordi’s hand. “You can send me back?”

“We think so,” LaForge said. “It’s going to be bumpy, but if we utilise the wormhole here at Deep Space Nine, I think it could work.”

The other newcomer stepped forward. “I’m Captain Sisko of Deep Space Nine. It’s an honour to meet you, again.”

“Ah, again?” Jim squinted at the man, but it didn’t help. He was entirely unfamiliar.

“Oh, forgive me. I’m getting ahead of you.”

Jim smiled at the man. “Time travel has a way of doing that.” He looked to Crusher. “You got what you wanted from the scan?”

“Yes,” Crusher said. “I found something unusual buried quite deeply inside your cells. I’d say it’s been there since your birth.”

“Birth? You mean it wasn’t just the alien device I let Chekov mess around with?”

“Not entirely. The radiation from the alien device is reacting with what’s already present,” Crusher said. “We call it chroniton radiation. It comes from Romulan weaponry.”

“Romulan?” Sisko asked. “How is that possible? I wasn’t aware of any such technology being on Earth back in the 2230s when you were born, Captain Kirk.”

“I wasn’t born on Earth,” Jim said. He leaned on the doorframe. He hoped it looked casual, rather than what it really was; an attempt to stop his head from spinning. He needed to focus if he was going to avoid giving too much away. Instead, he felt as rough as his first misadventure with Saurian brandy at the Academy. “It’s a long story.”

“You weren’t?” Sisko asked. “Fascinating. I wonder what caused our universes to diverge.”

“Captain Sisko, please try to contain your curiosity,” Crusher said. “We’re all trying to avoid a confrontation with the Temporal Investigations department.”

Sisko tensed. “Understood. My apologies.”

“Temporal Investigations?” Jim asked.

“Do yourself a favour and don’t get involved with them,” Sisko said. “They suck the fun out of everything.”

“Noted,” Jim said.

“Do you have any idea how you were exposed to chroniton radiation at such a young age?” Picard asked.

“Yes.”

He must’ve had a grim look on his face as nobody pressed him further.

“Had your accident happened to any of us, we probably wouldn’t have been so severely affected, but with you, that device’s method of time travel has renewable a fuel source for its temporal energy requirements,” Geordi said. “The chroniton radiation will be with you until the day you decompose.”

Jim winced.

“Sorry to be so blunt,” Geordi said.

“It is a fascinating discovery,” Data added. “One that proves you aren’t from our universe. We will have to study it further.”

“So if any of you guys turn up on my ship, I’ll know you’ve studied it too far,” Jim said.

“Huh,” Sisko said thoughtfully. “That definitely hasn’t happened to you yet.”

“Wait, what?”

Sisko chuckled. “No, no, nothing.”

“Gentlemen, focus,” Picard said.

“Right, sorry,” Jim said. “I take it you guys have a plan?”

“Yes, sir,” Geordi said. “We’re going to put you aboard a runabout we’ve adapted and fly you into a wormhole here.”

“Runabout?” Jim asked.

“It’s what we call shuttles,” Picard said.

“The radiation inside you is nearly at critical mass, so once you’re in there, it should react with the wormhole and temporarily change its destination point to your universe and moment in time,” Geordi said.

“In theory,” Data said. “Should this attempt fail, you will fall through time again and have to inform the people of the future what help you require.”

“Although I recommend avoiding too many more leaps through time,” Crusher said. “Your body can’t tolerate too much more. The scan revealed the beginnings of cellular damage. Our physiology isn’t built for the kind of travel you’ve gone through.”

“Comforting,” Jim said. “Okay, let’s do this.”

Picard held out a hand to do the door. “If you’ll follow us.”

Jim paused to offer Crusher his thanks. She delivered another round of anti-emetics. “Good luck,” she said.

Picard, with Data, Geordi and Sisko, led Jim out of sickbay. “Try not to look at any of the screens,” Picard said. “We wouldn’t want you to have any, ah, spoilers concerning the future.”

“Aye, sir,” Jim said absently, taking in the ship’s beige theme. It made him long for the crispness of his own ship.

“Don’t look out the portholes, either,” Sisko murmured. “Spoilers everywhere.”

Jim laughed. He liked Sisko. “Guess I should be grateful you didn’t blindfold me.”

“We discussed it,” Sisko said, eyes twinkling.

“To which I suggested beaming you directly aboard the runabout, but the increased chroniton radiation within your body made it impossible,” Data said.

Jim couldn’t think of anything to say to that.

The corridors were clear. They entered a turbolift and it ascended rapidly. Jim suspected Picard had ensured no one came between them and the shuttlebay. Jim was glad. All the starry eyes and _pleasure to meet you_ s were wearisome. They all thought he was _their_ James T. Kirk. To these people, he was a living embodiment of Starfleet history, a Federation legacy. And that thought was too much. He’d met their Kirk, experienced the man’s wisdom and certainty. What would these people think if they heard about Jim’s version of the past? What would they make of his universe, where Vulcan no longer existed?

They arrived and Picard led them out. Jim followed behind alongside Sisko. “I’ve cleared all traffic from the station through the wormhole,” Sisko said. “There’s no risk of you accidentally taking anyone with you.”

“Good. I’m not going to mess anything up by doing this, am I?” Jim asked.

“Don’t worry,” Sisko said. “The wormhole will be fine. It’s fixed here, so once you’ve passed through, it should snap back.”

“It is not a typical wormhole,” Data said.

“That, Commander, is an understatement,” Sisko said. “The Bajorans are going to slaughter me if anything does go wrong.”

“It won’t,” Geordi said. “Chroniton radiation won’t affect them. The wormhole is just going to act as a conduit. Trust me, Captain Sisko, it’s really the interaction between the chroniton particles and the engine that’s going to propel – ”

“To explain it any further would jeopardise history,” Data said.

“If it’s any consolation, you lost me after ‘them’,” Jim said.

“Let’s keep all discussion regarding this matter until our guest is safely returned home,” Picard said.

“Aye, sir,” Geordi said.

They entered the shuttlebay. Jim’s shuttle, _runabout,_ sat in the centre of the massive bay, ready for launch. A few other members of the crew, all dressed in the same gold as Geordi and Data, put on the finishing touches.

Jim barely noticed them. He’d always thought the _Enterprise_ was big, but this place, this ship, was gargantuan. “My ship could dock in here.”

“Almost.” One of the crew working on the runabout stepped forward. He spoke with an Irish accent. His uniform was smeared with grease, his sleeves rolled up. “I’d give you the exact specifications, but –”

“Perhaps we’d better not, Chief,” Sisko said.

The curly haired man held out a hand to Jim. “Miles O’Brien. An honour to meet you properly, sir.”

“Properly?” Jim asked as he shook O’Brien’s hand. His eyes flicked to Sisko’s. “I’m missing something, aren’t I?”

“Had any trouble with Tribbles lately?” O’Brien asked.

“Tribbles?” Jim echoed. One had saved his life not so long ago…

“Ah, Chief, perhaps we should focus on the here and now,” Sisko said.

Realisation dawned. “Forget I said anything,” O’Brien said.

“Perhaps we could get on with things before it’s too late,” Picard said. “We wouldn’t want Captain Kirk to miss his window of opportunity.”

“Yes, sir,” O’Brien said. “Sorry, sir. Sirs.” He looked at Geordi. “Runabout’s ready to go. All the checks are complete. The engine modifications you put in should work according to my scans.”

“Great. Come aboard, Captain Kirk,” Geordi said. “I’ll explain everything to you.”

Jim turned to Picard. His balance teetered. The older man caught him. “Sorry,” Jim said. He braced himself, his hands closing around the older man’s forearms. “Your ship’s kinda spinning around me.”

“Quite alright, Captain,” Picard said. “Let’s get you back to where you belong.”

“That would be great. I have an Ensign to berate.” Jim stood. “Take care of your crew, Captain Picard.”

Picard smiled. “Yes, sir.”

Feeling steadier, Jim released his grip. “This has been a very weird day.” He slapped Picard’s shoulder. The older man’s eyes widened at the informality. Jim just grinned. Several chuckles were poorly concealed by various members of the crew. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Captain Picard, but let’s hope we never meet again.”

“Sadly, that is a sentiment I share.”

Jim looked to Sisko. “Take care of yourself, sir,” he said. “Hope I don’t ruin your wormhole.”

“I’m sure you won’t.”

“Hate to interrupt, sirs, but Captain Kirk is running out of time to get into the wormhole,” Geordi called from within the runabout. “With all due respect, sir, you need to go.”

“I’ll monitor the wormhole from the bridge, if that’s alright with you, Captain Picard,” Sisko said.

“Yes,” Picard replied. “After you, Captain Sisko.”

Sisko took the lead and the pair left.

Jim shivered. “Wow, did it just get frosty in here?”

“It’s a long story,” Chief O’Brien said. “Anyway, go on with you. Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Jim boarded the shuttle. “No, no, runabout,” he muttered to himself. Data and Geordi quickly explained the adaptations to the engine, about how it would draw in and use the chroniton energy. Jim glanced over the systems. “This thing’s capable of warp travel? What did you do, shrink the drives?”

“You are a long way into the future, Captain,” Data said. “Please, take the helm. The course to the wormhole is laid in. You will not need to alter it in any way.”

“Good luck, sir,” Geordi said.

“Thanks for your help,” Jim said.

They left him to it, the runabout’s hatch sealing behind them. Jim took the helm. The shuttlebay’s doors opened.

“Picard to Kirk. You’re clear to disembark.”

“Thanks, Captain.” Jim took the runabout out. He couldn’t resist a look back at the ship. “Holy shit.”

There came the distinct sound of a throat clearing. “Everything alright, Captain?”

“What? Oh. Yeah.” He caught sight of the ship’s registration. Jim laughed. “Do I want to know what happened to all the other _Enterprises_?”

“Perhaps not,” Picard said.

Deep Space Nine was equally impressive. There were more vessels than Jim had time to count, and plenty of designs he did not recognise.

“Looks like the mission continues,” Jim said.

“New life and new civilisations,” Picard said. “Boldly going where no one has gone before. Starfleet hasn’t changed so much.”

“Good to know,” Jim said.

“We’re monitoring your progress,” Sisko said. “Latest reports from the station report all is well with the wormhole. Should be smooth flying.”

“Well,” Geordi cut in. “Kinda. Don’t forget to activate the adaptations the moment the wormhole opens.”

“Understood,” Jim said.

The _Enterprise_ and DS9 fell away. Jim watched the wormhole bloom ahead of him. Jim activated the engine’s adaptations and headed straight for the eye. His skin prickled, his teeth vibrating. His body quivered, every cell in his body deeply agitated. He felt hyper-energised. It took every scrap of his concentration to keep himself from jumping to his feet and packing around.

“Chroniton radiation increasing to ninety-five per cent,” the computer said. “Engines reaching maximum charge.”

Jim groaned as a bolt of nausea lurched across his stomach. His brain twisted in his skull. He hadn’t known motion sickness like it since flight training at the Academy.

“Everything alright, Captain?” Picard asked.

Jim vomited. “Fine,” he said once he was finished. “I’m heading in.” The sooner this was over, the better.

He crossed the wormhole’s threshold. The runabout’s warp drive activated. An alarm went off. His time was up. The temporal energy fired up the engine’s adaptations. Jim sat back from the controls. Time rushed around him, tore through him. Strips of light danced past. The ship stretched out around him. He hurtled through time. He couldn’t comprehend the speed. Everything was too fast. It was too much. Jim squeezed his eyes shut, but that made it worse. He lost his visual anchor. He tried to open his eyes, tried to move, but he was pinned in place.

Everything stopped without warning. Jim slammed into the moment. He groaned. Splayed across the helm controls, he heard the engines winding down. Exhaustion swamped him. He pushed himself upright. His arms barely held him.

“Computer, what is my location?” he asked hoarsely.

“Location unknown,” the computer promptly responded.

“Any ships out there?”

“Affirmative. There is one Federation vessel on an intercept course.”

Jim smiled in relief. “Is it the _Enterprise_?”

“Negative.”

What? “Who is it?”

“It is the USS _Voyager_ , Intrepid class.”

In his time, there was no _Voyager._ “Dammit.” Unable to support himself Jim sank against the helm controls. “Hail them. Audio only.”

The computer chimed. “Channel open.”

“Shuttle, sorry, Runabout to, er, _Voyager_. Please respond.”

“ _Voyager_ to Runabout. This is Captain Kathryn Janeway. To whom am I speaking?”

“This is Captain James T. Kirk of the USS _Enterprise,_ and I really need your help.” His nose was damp. He raised a hand to it. He looked down at his fingers. Blood. A lot of blood. His stomach lurched and his head pounded. “But I need to stop off in your sickbay first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Memory Alpha is the greatest Trek resource out there. Can't recommend it enough.
> 
> Sisko and O'Brien are referring to the *excellent* Trials and Tribble-ations episode of ST:DS9. Well worth watching.
> 
> (If enough inspiration strikes, I may write a quick "Jim and Saurian Brandy at the Academy" fic...)
> 
> See you next week!


	6. Chapter 6

Another ship, another sickbay, another set of unfamiliar faces staring down at him.

“Ah,” said the man in blue. “You’re awake. You passed out when your runabout docked.” He held out a hand. “Tricorder please, Mr Paris.”

“Here you go, Doc.” Jim saw another man, this one in red. “How are you feeling, sir?” Paris asked Jim.

Paris? Wasn’t there a Commodore Paris alive and well in Jim’s universe? “What year is this?”

“It’s 2375. You’re a man out of time, Captain Kirk. I’m Ensign Paris and this is the Doctor. Welcome aboard _Voyager._ You’re a very unexpected surprise.”

“As all surprises surely are,” the Doctor shot back. “Inform Captain Janeway our guest is awake.”

Paris stepped away. The Doctor leaned in. “You’ve suffered a great deal of physical and mental strain from the time travel. I recommend you remain in bed for the time being and give your body time to readjust. I’ve done what I can for the cellular damage, but it will tear you apart if you continue to time travel in this manner.”

“Listen, Doctor, er –”

“Just Doctor.”

“Right. Doctor. I can explain what’s happening to me.” Jim gave as brief a summary as he could manage. “As you can see, I’m still in the wrong time, and the wrong universe. The attempt to send me home failed. I can’t keep –” He broke off, coughing harshly. Something clogged at the back of his throat. If he didn’t dislodge it, he’d choke. The Doctor rolled him onto his side and delivered a hefty smack to his back. Jim spat out a wad of congealed blood. “Thanks.”

“How many leaps have you made?” the Doctor asked.

Jim coughed too hard to answer. Paris returned and handed the Doctor a hypospray. It hissed at Jim’s neck. His lungs eased moments later.

“Stay there,” the Doctor said. “Let the medicine do its work.”

“How long do I have before my next leap?”

The Doctor looked at his tricorder. “Ten hours. I managed to slow it down, but I couldn’t stop it. The temporal energy is steadily rising. In fact, the reason we were in this region of space is because we picked up a strange temporal reading. It seemed to be emanating from a device we picked up, but then you arrived.”

“A device?”

“Alien in origin,” Paris said. “We’re still studying it. Its generated a strange anomaly. We arrived here, and moments later we found you. The captain will explain more once she arrives.”

Moments later, Sickbay’s doors opened and a smart woman marched in, head held high, her cropped hair tucked behind her ears. A Vulcan stood behind her. Jim forced himself upright and met her gaze. A smile lit up her face. “Captain Kirk, I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Starship _Voyager_. This is Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, my head of security. We’re a long way from home, and even further away from your time.”

“And my reality,” Jim said. “I’m from an alternate universe.” His eyes flicked to the Vulcan. Would he still exist in Jim’s universe, or had his existence been wiped out before it had a chance to begin? Had his parents died before this man had been conceived? Tuvok raised an eyebrow. Jim forced himself to look to Janeway. “The Doctor and Mr Paris said you’ve found an alien device and an anomaly.”

“Yes. A wormhole. It’s too small for us to travel through. Scans suggest it penetrates space, time and the boundaries of reality, but we have no idea what’s on the other side.”

“It isn’t Deep Space Nine?” Jim asked.

“You were there?” Tuvok asked.

“Sort of. Picard’s _Enterprise_ was docked there when I jumped into their time period.”

Tuvok’s face became a Vulcan study in consternation. “Then you have already experienced a great deal of future technology that could cause alter past history.”

A laugh broke free of Jim before he could contain it. “Oh, the past as you know it was already altered beyond belief, trust me.” Then he remembered who he was talking to, and clammed up, guilt sealing his lips.

“It’s true,” the Doctor said. “Based on my scans, and the records in the Starfleet database on Captain Kirk, this man is two months older than his counterpart –”

“Mom probably didn’t mean to go into labor when she did, but what with the ship exploding and –”

“You should refrain from speaking further,” Tuvok said.

Jim chuckled. “Vulcans, man.”

Janeway failed to hide her own smile. Tuvok gave her the eyebrow. She ignored him. “Continue, Doctor.”

“Thank you. As I was saying, this Captain Kirk has several allergies that do not match up to records, and, well, the eyes are rather unmissable.”

“People tell me they’re my best feature,” Jim said. “Oh, Doctor, don’t forget the chroniton radiation. Your Kirk didn’t have that.” He leaned in closer to Janeway. “Nice guy, isn’t he?”

“We wouldn’t know,” Janeway said calmly, almost soothingly. “None of us were born when he, that is, you, were alive.”

That gave Jim pause. He hadn’t even thought about that. Hadn’t stopped to think that by 2375, the fully human members of his crew would probably be dead. “What about Admiral Archer?” he said weakly. “Always said he’d outlive us all.”

Janeway shook her head.

“Try to relax, Captain Kirk,” the Doctor said. “I’ve had to give you a variety of medications. You may be feeling drunk.”

“Tri-ox in that mix?” Jim asked.

“Yes.”

Jim nodded in a captainly fashion. “That’d be why. Makes me chatty.”

“Scans suggest that you are resonating with the anomaly,” Janeway said. “The machine we found actually came out of it. We believe it’s a time travel device. It’s incredibly advanced, but we’re trying not to activate it.”

“Where is it?” Jim said.

“In our cargo bay,” Janeway said. “When the Doctor thinks you’re well enough, you’re welcome to see it.”

Jim immediately tried to get up, but sickbay wobbled around him. The Doctor and Paris pushed him back down. “I see ignoring the orders of doctors is a trait found in all Starfleet captains,” the Doctor observed disdainfully. He handed over a tissue. “Your nose is bleeding.”

Jim took the tissue and held it to his nose. “Can you at least show me what it looks like?” he asked.

Janeway grabbed a PADD from a trolley. She typed rapidly then held it up. “Look familiar?”

It did, but unlike the one they’d had aboard his _Enterprise_ , this one looked shiny and new. “Any idea where it originated from?”

“Not specifically,” Janeway said. “But many of its components could have come from a number of Delta Quadrant planets. We believe it must have originated nearby.”

“Delta Quadrant?” Jim echoed in disbelief.

“At least we’re too far away from the Temporal Investigations to find us,” Paris said cheerily.

“I’ll be sure to keep our relief out of the ship’s log,” Janeway said.

“This thing was on my ship,” Jim said. “Over a hundred years in the past, and in an alternate version of your timeline.”

“How do you know it’s an alternate version of this particular timeline?” Janeway asked.

“Oh, because of the Ro –” Jim caught himself in time. “Can’t tell you.”

“Is there any danger of my ship being taken into your universe with that device aboard _Voyager_?” Janeway asked.

“I don’t think so,” Jim said. “It’s reacting to me because of the chronitons buried in my cells. I was in a room full of people when the machine went off the first time, and none of them came with me.”

“Unless they were sent to other time periods,” Tuvok said.

“Doctor?” Janeway asked. “Is that possible?”

“No,” the Doctor said. “The scans I’ve run, and the data recovered from the runabout don’t support that theory.”

Jim slumped with relief.

“Tell us how this started,” Janeway said.

Nose still sluggishly bleeding, Jim placed his aching head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees. “It started when my navigation officer, Chekov, and his team started messing around with an alien time travel device.” He nodded at the PADD. “That alien time travel device. Somehow, it found its way across time and space. Anyway, Chekov’s a smart guy and I let him borrow my shirt to send a few hours into the future. Except he sent me into the past.”

His crowd listened in fascination as he recounted the events of his day.

“Can’t imagine what meeting yourself is like,” Paris commented. “Especially your alternate self.”

Jim’s stomach gave an ominous rumble. “I don’t recommend it.” He doubled over. “Time travel really doesn’t agree with me.” Pain rippled through him. His stomach contents spilled over his lap. “Shit.”

“No, that’s vomit,” Paris said.

Jim laughed painfully. “Funny guy.”

“Mr Paris certainly thinks so.” The Doctor was scanning again. “The temporal stress on your body is increasing. My repairs are only a temporary fix.”

“What’s the permanent fix?” Jim asked.

“Stopping the build-up of temporal energy within your cells. We can’t remove the chroniton radiation buried in your cells, but I may be able to devise a treatment that, once you’re back home, could keep you there. I will require a little time to test a few hypotheses.”

“You said the device, or one like it, was the cause of your leaps through time,” Janeway said.

“Correct,” Jim replied.

“Then is it possible you’ve leapt through time over and over because you had to get to this point in time where the machine also exists in order to return home?”

“Sounds possible,” Jim said. “I need to see the device.”

“It would be logical for you to remain here, to avoid any pollution of the timeline,” Tuvok said. “We should remember the Temporal Prime Directive.”

“How bad could it be?” Paris said. “He’s already been aboard another _Enterprise,_ seen DS9 and used a warp capable runabout.”

“Don’t forget the combadges. I like those,” Jim said.

“As long as he, sorry, sir, as long as you never tell a soul about our technological advantages, it’ll be fine,” Paris said.

“I’ll take your secrets to my grave.”

Paris grinned. “See, Captain? Captain Kirk won’t accidentally cause some kind of catastrophic temporal event.”

“None whatsoever,” Jim said with his best smile.

“We could certainly use your help understanding the device,” Janeway said.

“Gotcha.” Jim hopped of the bed, relieved to find his equilibrium remained fully intact. He pulled the tissue away from his nose. It looked like the bleeding had finally stopped. "Shall we?

Janeway made a face. “Perhaps we ought to let you freshen up first.”

Jim flushed. “Right.”

“Follow me,” the Doctor said. “You can use the shower here and we’ll find you something more appropriate to wear.”

“I’ll see you in the cargo bay when you’re ready,” Janeway said.

She left. Tuvok stayed right where he was.

“Don’t trust me?” Jim asked.

“As you are an alternate Captain Kirk, we cannot trust you to behave as history would suggest. There are reports in Starfleet’s database of what has been termed the ‘Mirror Verse’, in which all that we know is twisted and brutal. There is a chance you are of that universe and are simply attempting to fool us. As _Voyager’s_ chief of security, it is my duty to ensure everybody aboard this vessel is kept safe.”

“A simple ‘no’ would suffice, Mr Tuvok,” Jim said.

Tuvok made no response. Not even an eyebrow twitch.

Jim, accompanied by his Vulcan security officer shadow, followed the Doctor to the sonic shower. The _Voyager_ pair gave him some privacy as he undressed. Stepping into the cubicle, Jim activated the device. It cleaned off the blood and grime, but it was nowhere near as satisfying as a real water shower.

Once he was done, Jim stuck his head out of the cubicle, using the curtain to protect his modesty. His uniform was gone. In its place was the same style of uniform the _Voyager_ crew wore. His had the red over the shoulders. The purple undershirt, he mused as he tugged it over his head, really wasn’t his colour. Neither was red.  He caught sight of himself in the mirror. His face was pale, his eyes haggard. He didn’t look well. The mere thought of leaping through time again made his stomach churn.

Jim left the bathroom. Tuvok hadn’t left the doorway. His hand rested upon his phaser. Jim didn’t let it bother him.

“This way, Captain,” Tuvok said. He led the way to sickbay’s exit.

“Come back here instantly if your symptoms worsen,” the Doctor said.

“I will.”

“Captain Kirk, if you will accompany me, I will take you to Captain Janeway.”

Jim held out a hand. “After you, Mr Tuvok.”

Eyebrow well and truly cocked, Tuvok showed him out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the geekiest thing I've ever written... ;)


	7. Chapter 7

Tuvok showed Jim into the cargo bay. Several members of the crew were there, including Janeway. Jim watched them scan the time travel device, the crew keeping a safe distance. It still looked like a coffee table, but unlike the one Jim’s crew had found, this one looked like it had just rolled off an alien production line.

Janeway looked up and saw him. “Our scans suggest it’s giving out a regular temporal pulse, almost like a homing signal.”

“And that signal is travelling through the anomaly?” Jim asked.

“It is,” Janeway said. “The device could act as the navigator you’ve been missing so far. And if it is the same device, albeit in a far newer condition, maybe it will be drawn across time and space to the one aboard your ship.”

“That sounds like the best plan yet,” Jim said. “Or at least the best guess.”

“Let’s hope we can get it to work,” Janeway said.

“Did you find the device on a ship?” Jim asked. “One designed for a tall species?”

“How did you know that?” Tuvok asked.

“Because that’s where we found it,” Jim said. “The ship was very old.”

“In fact it’s very new,” Janeway said. “We’re docked with it right now, but we have no idea where its crew went. There are plenty of worlds it could’ve come from in the Delta Quadrant, but I don’t think it’s a species we’ve encountered yet.”

“Maybe we need to put it back in that ship,” Jim said. “If that’s where it came from, surely it’s the best chance I have to get home.”

“A valid theory,” Tuvok said. “And a very logical course of action.”

 “Except we can’t translate the ship’s language,” Janeway said. “We’ve been unable to properly interface with it. Unfortunately, we don’t have a linguistic specialist aboard.”

“Where’s Uhura when you need her,” Jim said with a smile.

“Thankfully, I do have a team of engineers studying the ship’s engines and warp drive,” Janeway said. “It’s hard going when you’re not at least eight feet tall. Whoever built it, they must’ve been giants.”

“Why did you remove the time travel device?” Jim asked.

“Honestly? We hoped it might boost our own engines, give us a little extra speed. Of course now we know what it is, it’ll do no such thing. Once we’ve finished our analysis, and found a way to help you, we’ll put it back just as we found it.”

“Can I see the ship?” Jim asked.

“Absolutely. Please, come this way.”

Janeway and Tuvok took him to the ship’s docking port. It opened up onto a far larger ship. Unlike the derelict the _Enterprise_ had come across, this ship was bright and clean, every surface polished to a mirror shine. Just like before, the ceiling towered over him. It reminded him of being a child, staring up at a world he couldn’t quite reach. He hadn’t felt short in years, but he did right now. It took a long time to get anywhere; the corridors were so long. They eventually reached to the bridge. _Voyager_ crewmembers worked there, all of them dwarfed by the sheer size of everything. Just reaching a seat would require a leap and a scramble.

A woman with gold over her shoulders approached Janeway. “Captain, I think I’ve found a way to integrate one of our interfaces into this ship. If it works, we might actually be able to control this thing, even if we can’t understand a word of its coding.”

“Excellent news, B’Elanna,” Janeway said.

B’Elanna looked to Jim. She frowned, like she couldn’t place him.

“Allow me to introduce Captain James T Kirk of the _Enterprise_ ,” Janeway said. “He may be even more lost than we are right now.”

“Ah, nice to meet you,” Jim said, trying his damnedest not to stare at her forehead.

It was too late. “Yes, I am half Klingon.”

Klingons in Starfleet? Wow. And he thought he lived in enlightened times. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“It’s alright,” she said. “When you’re from, the Klingon race wasn’t at peace with the Federation. In fact, you had a few run ins with them, didn’t you?”

“Ah, like, one?” So far…

Her eyes suddenly went wide. “Oh. Oh, I’m sorry. I’m not supposed to tell you about your future. It’s…”

“Fine, don’t worry about it,” Jim said. “I’ve already sworn a vow of silence.” His eyes flicked to Tuvok and back to B’Elanna. “Please, forgive my ignorance.”

She waved a hand. “Consider it forgiven and forgotten. If you’ll excuse me, I’d better find a way for us to fly this thing before I accidentally cause a temporal incident. I never was much good at temporal mechanics.” She turned to Janeway. “I could really use Harry and Seven’s help, if you can spare them.”

“Of course,” Janeway said. “Bring anyone you need over here to help.”

“Thanks, Captain.”

A combadge chirped. “Chakotay to Janeway.”

She patted the badge. “Go ahead, Commander.”

“If it’s alright with you and our guest, I think we could use Captain Kirk’s help on the bridge. Our probes have sent back some data, and I think he might be able to identify the ship on the other side of the anomaly.”

“There’s a ship?” Janeway asked.

“A big one,” Chakotay replied. “I’m thinking more constitution class, but a bigger.”

“We’re on our way,” Janeway said.

When they reached the bridge, smaller and darker than all of the _Enterprise_ s, Jim ignored the stares from all stations. He barely noticed the crew. His eyes were locked onto the viewscreen. He gripped a handrail behind the captain’s chair.

He could see a lightning storm in space.

But it wasn’t the same as _that_ one. It was far smaller, barely large enough to send a probe through. Alongside the image was the probe’s data. He could see the hazy outline of part of a ship. Could it be his _Enterprise_? He cocked his head to the side. Was that a nacelle? Could be. He needed it to be.

“Captain?” Janeway called.

“You’ve had no luck hailing the ship on the other side?” he asked, walking to the centre of the bridge. Maybe if he was closer, the image would come into clearer focus.

“Nothing,” said the voice that had called them to the bridge. “There’s too much interference.” Jim looked over his shoulder and saw a man with a tattoo over one eyebrow looking at him. He came over and shook Jim’s hand. “I’m Chakotay, First Officer aboard _Voyager._ ”

“Good to meet you,” Jim said. “If that’s my ship over there, my communications officer, Uhura, is extremely talented at her job. If you can find a way to punch through the interference, she’ll hear it.”

“We’re working on it,” Janeway said from the science station. “We’re narrowing the signal as best we can to give it all the strength we can muster.”

“Good,” Jim said.

“Here, look at these readings. See if anything is familiar.”

He stirred himself and joined Janeway. He scanned the readings. There was a lot of radiation, but there was one set of readings that flashed warning lights across his memory. “Here.” He tapped the charts. “This is what the device gave off when it was on my ship.”

“It’s chroniton radiation,” Janeway said. “We could adapt _Voyager’s_ communication relay, but it’ll take time.”

“Unless you siphon some of my radiation,” Jim said. “Use the same kind of adaptations as the runabout that brought me here.”

“Would the Doctor know a way to siphon the energy?” Chakotay asked.

“Let’s find out.” Janeway tapped her combadge. “Janeway to sickbay. Doctor, could we borrow some of Captain Kirk’s chroniton energy to puncture the anomaly’s interference and communicate with whoever’s on the other side?”

“In theory, yes.”

“How would you gather it?” Chakotay asked.

“It’s as much a part of him as any other part of his body. In fact, it may even be in his blood. Have Mr Kirk return to sickbay. I have an idea.”

“We’re on our way,” Janeway said. “Chakotay, continue monitoring the anomaly.”

“Aye, Captain.”

***

Twenty minutes, and what felt like way too much of his blood later, Jim was back on _Voyager_ ’s bridge. The Doctor had syphoned chronitons out of his blood and, with B’Elanna’s help, stored the energy in a power unit. She’d subsequently bolted it onto the main communications array.

“Alright, that ought to do it,” B’Elanna said, her voice carried over the comlink from Engineering. “You should be able to communicate with the other ship now.”

“Understood.” Janeway activated a hailing frequency. “This is the starship _Voyager_ contacting unknown ship. If you can hear this transmission, please respond.”

“I am picking up a response. Audio only,” Tuvok said.

“ _Voyager,_ this is the _Enterprise._ ”

Relief flooded Jim. “Uhura, it’s good to hear your voice.”

“Yours too, Captain. Are you – ”

“Keptin, please accept my apologies for what’s happened!” Chekov blurted out. “I am glad you are not dead or lost for good.”

“Relax, Chekov, I’m fine.”

“Are you certain?” It was Spock.

“Yeah, yeah, totally certain.”

“Jim, I can smell the horseshit from here.”

“Not now, Bones. Listen, the time travel device came from the region of space I’m in. It’s here, now. Or, an alternate version of it is. I think that’s why it’s found me.”

“You believe the device is sentient?” Spock asked.

“No,” Jim replied. “Figure of speech, Spock. I think my hops through time were always leading me here. What’s the status of the device over there?”

“It has emitted a radiation pulse since you were taken from the ship and sent it through an anomaly that appeared after you left. It is possible it’s a homing beacon of some kind.”

“That makes sense,” Jim said. “The device here is doing the same thing.”

“Keptin,” Chekov said. “We have continued our research and the device we have here may have once had a method of programming a return journey into it, but it’s too old to use now.”

“Transmit all of your data concerning the device along with your coordinates to _Voyager_. Hopefully we can get the newer version to work. Uhura, any luck with the language?”

“Some, but it’s slow going. We’re no closer to understanding who created it or where they came from. I’ve focused on the device. There were a lot of files in the ship’s database. I need to double check my translations, but I think we could program it to bring you back.”

“Good work,” Jim said.

“We’ll transmit our data to you, as well,” Janeway said. “In particular the Doctor’s treatment for chroniton radiation.”

“Radiation?” McCoy echoed. “What the hell did you do to get yourself irradiated again? You better be bringing back some future cure for it, because unless you forgot, I don’t exactly keep a stock of superblood on standby!”

“Superblood?” Chakotay asked quietly.

“Long story,” Jim said. “Bones, it’s not what you think. Turns out I was kinda born this way. But I can’t explain right now, obviously, so I’ll tell you everything when I’m back.” 

“You are in the future,” Spock said. “Events that have occurred here are history to the crew you are with.”

“I’m not in our universe,” Jim said. “I’m in the Prime universe.”

“Prime?” Janeway asked.

“I can’t tell you anything,” Jim said. “I’m sorry.”

“Fascinating,” Spock said. “With the device moving in the opposite direction through time to us, and hopping dimensions, it suggests that there are species in the universe that do not experience time in the way we do.”

Jim rubbed his head. A dull ache had returned. It probably explained why his eyes were no longer focusing properly. “Or they didn’t know how to control the machine they’d built and it tore them apart.”

“Tore them apart, Jim?” McCoy said pointedly.

“I’m alright,” Jim said.

“Sure, aside from being irradiated again.”

“Totally different kind of radiation, Bones. This chroniton stuff’s been with me since the day I was born.”

“This is something to do with the _Kelvin_?” McCoy asked.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Sorry, Jim.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jim said. “I’ll be home soon enough.” He opted not to mention just how poor his health had become over the course of his leaps. 

“I’m transmitting the data now, sir,” Uhura said. “ _Voyager_ should be receiving it.”

“We are, Lieutenant Uhura,” Tuvok said. “And I have transmitted our data to you.”

“Thank you, Mister?”

“I am Commander Tuvok.”

“Tuvok, thank you, I have it,” Uhura said.

“I’ll start looking over the medical data,” McCoy said. “Any chance I can speak with the medical staff over there?”

“I’m here.” The Doctor said over the com system. “I’ve previously created a method of cleansing chroniton radiation from the body. It should ensure Captain Kirk remains in his own time period once we get him there.”

“Even though the radiation’s been there since birth?” McCoy asked.

“It’s reacting with the temporal energy put out by the time machine,” the Doctor said. “I am certain if you apply my treatment once Captain Kirk is back with you, the reaction causing him to leap through time will be stopped.”

“Okay, thanks,” McCoy said. “I’ll study what you’ve sent us.”

“I should remind you this is a serious violation of Starfleet protocol regarding technology from the future,” Spock said.

“It’s not the first time,” McCoy said.

“It’s not even the second,” Jim added. “I’d rather not keep jumping through time, if it’s all the same to you, Spock.”

“In fact he cannot,” the Doctor said. “It’s tearing his body apart.”

“Dammit, Jim!”

“Bones –”

“Maybe you should tell these future people to stop sending their crap into our time,” McCoy said. “We’ve got enough to deal with, without clearing up their messes.”

“You’ve encountered other time periods that often?” Janeway asked.

Jim looked at her. She looked caught between proper Starfleet horror and genuine astonishment. “Kind of. Well, no, but what we have dealt with is enough to make Starfleet nervous.”

“Just make sure you get back,” Bones said. “We can add another technology to Starfleet’s vault of _crap the_ Enterprise _finds but can’t keep._ ”

“They have such a thing?” Chakotay asked, amused.                                     

“Our actions have forced Starfleet to confiscate many things we have discovered,” Spock said.

“Whatever,” Bones said. “Jim, I’ll keep a bed warm for you in sickbay.”

Jim sighed.

“Doctor McCoy, as the Captain is with another Starfleet crew, one from a time more advanced than our own, anxiety is illogical,” Spock said.

“Forgive my human weaknesses, but we can’t all be robots.”

“My ability to control my emotions does not make me a robot, doctor. It merely allows me to focus on the task at hand without succumbing to panic when a cool head is required.”

A snort of laughter dragged Jim’s attention to the crew of _Voyager._ Janeway had a hand pressed to her mouth, but she couldn’t hide the smile. Jim saw several amused looks. Even Tuvok had a look of amazement. At least, that’s what Jim interpreted both raised eyebrows and a slight widening of his eyes to mean.

Jim cleared his throat. “Uhura, keep this line open for as long as you can. I’ll let you know when I’m making the leap home.”

“Aye, Captain,” she said. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Jim turned to Janeway. “Let’s see about getting that time travel machine back into the ship so I can pilot it home.”

She stood to attention. “Aye, sir.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy fiftieth, Star Trek! I decided to update this story a few days early to celebrate.
> 
> I hope you've all had a wonderfully Trekkie day!

Janeway led Jim into the turbolift. Their Vulcan shadow accompanied them. The lift descended rapidly. When it arrived, Janeway stepped out first. Tuvok waited for Jim to follow, but something wasn’t right. Jim’s bones itched. His nerves flared, pain skittering throughout his limbs. A thick, metallic taste swirled on his tongue. Everything in his head turned to liquid. Voices called back and forth above him, but the sound was lost beneath his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Time stretched out around him. The turbolift lost cohesion. It seemed to exist and not exist all in the same moment. He saw the ceiling, and then only unfamiliar stars. _Voyager_ encased him, and then it didn’t. He breathed the air. He felt the bitter, endless cold of the black.

He heard the rapid beeps of a nearby tricorder. “He’s phasing between universes but not through time.” It was Janeway. “Doctor, we have a medical emergency in turbolift –”

Jim reached out a hand. Someone grabbed it. He heard a deep, strangled gasp.

“Tuvok!”

A body hit the deck. A sharp jolt to the neck brought Jim back into the moment. Space faded. _Voyager_ solidified around him. Jim, however, didn’t feel very solid. Every fibre of his being trembled, wracked by tiny quakes. The thought of standing, the idea of walking, all of that was beyond him. He slowly realised someone held him. He blinked. It was the Doctor. “What happened?” Jim asked.

“My treatment to slow the build-up of temporal energy has failed. I simply cannot hold it back. You are running out of time.”

“Doctor,” Janeway said. “It’s Tuvok.”

The Vulcan had collapsed. He stared at Jim, tears streaming down his cheeks. “No,” he gasped, emotional control shattered. “What I saw… It cannot be true. My world. My people. They cannot be gone.”

“Gone?” Janeway asked.

“Dead. Almost every Vulcan. Decimated.”

Jim knew enough about Vulcan telepathy to keep his distance from one who was severely emotionally compromised. “You must approach this logically, Commander. What you saw didn’t happen in your universe. It’s not your reality.”

Tuvok reached out, his fingers shaped to perform a mindmeld. “I must know more. I must understand how. What I saw was not enough. You will show me everything.”

“No.” Jim pulled further back. He’d been on the receiving end of an emotionally unstable Vulcan’s meld before. He had no desire to repeat the experience. “It didn’t happen in your universe. It’s not real here.”

Tuvok’s hands trembled. “Would I exist? Did my parents survive Vulcan’s demise? In your universe, there is a very high probability I will not exist.”

“That can be said of countless universes,” Jim said gently. “Mine’s one of an infinite number.”

“Tuvok, Captain Kirk is right,” Janeway said gently. “That is not the truth here. Vulcan, and all its people, exist.”

Tuvok clasped his hands to his head. “I can see it as he did. I can see my world disappear into a black hole.” He stared uncomprehendingly at Jim. “Why can I feel my people die? How do you know the feeling?”

“Listen to me,” Jim said. He instinctively leaned closer, but the Doctor’s hands restrained him. “What happened in my universe won’t happen here. It can’t. You need to focus on that. Meditate on it. I’m from an alternate past. You already know what happened there hasn’t happened here. You’re over a hundred years into my future, and Vulcan is still there.”

“Your logic is sound,” Tuvok grunted.

“But you feel the pain, I know,” Jim said. “I’m sorry. I never meant to force my memories onto you. I should’ve controlled it better.”

Passive face still streaked with tears, Tuvok stood. “Captain, I need to be relieved of duty.”

Janeway gave a curt nod. “Can you get to your quarters?”

“I do not believe I can manage alone.”

“Doctor, help him. Beam him directly to his quarters, and stay with him until he’s alright.”

“Aye, Captain.”

The Doctor and Tuvok disappeared.

“I’m so sorry,” Jim said. “I never meant for him, for any of you, to learn about that.”

“It’s alright,” Janeway said. She looked at him. “Despite it, your universe doesn’t seem so different from ours.”

Jim leaned his head on the bulkhead. “Maybe it’s just the people who are a little different.”

“You seem so young to me,” Janeway said. “It’s a little strange. I have ensigns the same age as you. I can’t imagine them running a ship and leading a crew into uncharted space.” She wasn’t even bothering to keep the awe from her tone. “We look back on your time as a kind of golden era. A time when Starfleet wasn’t so bound up by rules, when you and your crew saw and did things we wouldn’t dream of allowing these days.”

“I’ve bent the rules,” Jim said. “More than I should have. But it took me too long to realise sometimes I bent those rules because I wanted to, rather than because I had absolutely no other choice. Starfleet means well, but sometimes you have to put the people before the mission.” He looked at Janeway. He didn’t see pity. He saw the look of a captain who’d been confronted by similar choices. He got the distinct feeling she may have chosen differently.

Very differently.

“You and I come from very different times,” Janeway said.

“Maybe I am too young to be a captain. I’ve lost people, and I only have myself to blame, but believe me, whatever golden era your Kirk inhabited, he and his people worked for it. And for us, it’s still a work in progress. Maybe hindsight will make it all look easy. The truth is sometimes you have to make do with what you have.” He laughed mirthlessly. “Starfleet had to make do.”

“I doubt that very much.”

“That’s very nice of you to say, Captain Janeway.” Jim forced himself to his feet. He managed to get out of the turbolift before his knees crumpled. Janeway threw his arm around her shoulder and lifted him up. “Thanks.”

“What’s a little help between captains?” Janeway asked.

“I owe several a case of Romulan ale. But it’s only Archer I can actually share that with.”

“Archer? The former President of the Federation?”

“That’s the guy. I used to walk his beagle for him back when I was at the Academy. Before Scotty lost the poor little guy. You should’ve seen the other me’s face when I told him I knew Archer because I needed lessons on respect. Thought the guy was gonna blow a blood vessel.” Jim doubled over. He coughed up blood and bile. He just about avoided Janeway’s boots. “Ugh, maybe that’s me.”

Janeway activated her combadge. “Janeway to Torres. B’Elanna, we’re on our way. That ship needs to be ready when we get there.”

“Captain, we’ve used the translations sent over from the _Enterprise,_ and our interface is connected, but we should test this setup before anyone uses it. We worked fast. There’s no telling if it’ll work.”

“We can’t test anything. Captain Kirk is going to leap through time again. This could be his only chance to get home.”

“Understood. We’ll be ready. Torres out.”

They reached the alien ship. Janeway dragged Jim onwards. She didn’t let him slow down, not even when he hacked up mouthfuls of blood. On the bridge, Janeway’s crew moved rapidly but efficiently. B’Elanna came over. “Captain, er, both of you. We’re ready. The time travel device is fully integrated, and the interface we’ve created should work perfectly. The time and universal coordinates are in place. Lieutenant Uhura is very, very good at her job.”

“She is,” Jim said. “And so are you. Thanks for everything.”

B’Elanna nodded. “You’re welcome.”

She followed Jim and Janeway to the helm controls. Paris was seated there, typing into the massive console. He had to sit on the edge of the seat to reach everything. “I’ve navigated the best course for you, using the coordinates from your crew,” he said. “All you have to do is monitor everything. Does the interface make sense to you?”

Jim glanced it over. It might be a far more colourful version of the operating system he knew, but it was as user friendly as ever. “I’ve got it,” he said.

Paris hopped off the seat. “She’s all yours.”

“You’re a nurse and pilot?” Jim asked, hauling himself into the chair. He felt ridiculous. His legs swung back and forth. “You must be busy.”

“ _Voyager_ is a lot smaller than the _Enterprise,_ and many of our crew have to carry out numerous duties,” Janeway said. “We’re a long way from home.”

“The Delta Quadrant,” Jim said. “Yeah, I’d say that’s a long, long way.” The distances boggled his already befuddled brain.

B’Elanna climbed up next to him. She tapped a screen to the left of helm control. “This is the time travel device’s interface. Activate it as soon as you’re clear of _Voyager._ We can’t risk you taking us with you.”

“Understood.”

“It’s been an honour working with you, Captain Kirk,” Janeway said. “We’ll remain in contact with you and your ship for as long as possible.”

“Thanks. I wish you the best of luck getting home. Something tells me you’re going to get there.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Jim reached down from the chair and squeezed Janeway’s shoulder. “Take care of your crew, Captain Janeway. Just remember you need them as much as they need you.”

“Same to you, sir.”

Janeway and her people left. The ship alerted him the moment the docking port’s doors were sealed. He watched _Voyager_ pull away.

“Janeway to Kirk. You’re clear. Activate the device.”

“Understood.” Jim leaned over and activated the device. An alert appeared on the screen ahead of him. “It’s active. Keep your distance.”

“Temporal drive online,” the computer stated. The machine whined behind him. A deep tug in her chest told him the device was pulling temporal energy out of his cells. “Charging cycle has accelerated. Two minutes until charge complete.”

“We’ll stay in contact for as long as we can,” Janeway said.

“Captain, we read you as well,” Spock said.

“The docking port is ready and waiting for you, sir,” Scotty said.

“Good to know,” Jim said. He braced himself against the helm controls. He didn’t dare let himself relax. Not yet. A coil of nausea roiled through his gut. He dry-heaved. He didn’t have anything left inside his stomach to vomit. It didn’t stop the tang of blood filling his mouth. “It’ll be good to be home.”

“You do not sound well, Jim,” Spock said.

“Don’t worry,” Jim said. “I’m fine.”

“Sickbay can’t wait to see you,” Bones said. “We’re all ready to deliver the treatment _Voyager’s_ doctor sent over.”

Jim reached up and wiped the sweat from his face. His head pounded, scalding shards of agony driving through his brain. He collapsed over the helm control. He stared in horror as his hands phased in and out of sight.

“Jim?” Bones called. “You still there?”

White fog flowed over him. For a while, longer than Jim could process, there was nothing but clouds.

A figure walked towards him. Whoever it was, they kept themselves hidden. Either that, or Jim’s eyes couldn’t focus well enough to make out the incredibly tall person’s features.

“Hello,” said a pleasant voice. It was pitched at a genderless level, neither male or female. “I see another one has made use of our ship.”

“Who are you?” Jim barely had the energy to speak. “I need to get home.”

“Home, yes. That would be best. But I think you’ve travelled further than your body can handle.”

_One minute until full charge._ The words fizzled through Jim’s mind, coming from some incredible distance.

“We all went too far through time. We didn’t really know what we were building when we made this. It only serves us right that it left us in a place between realities.”

Jim shook his head. He heard the words, but their meaning didn’t penetrate.

“Of everyone we’ve ever accidentally sent careening through time and universes, none of them ever worked so hard to comprehend what was happening as you have. Humans. Your Federation. What a fascinating group you all are!”

“Uh, sorry?”

“It’s been very inspirational. You see, I’m meant to take you with us. You’re supposed to join us, meant to spend the rest of eternity watching over any moment of time, in any given universe, you so desire. Most people give in. Most join us without debate. Most never think to solve the mystery like you and all those you’ve visited with. You put your time travel to good use. Somehow, you always knew where to go.”

“I knew?”

“Indeed. Most unorthodox!”

Jim struggled to put his thoughts into some kind of order. “Have I created other alternate realities? Will I be sent back to the wrong reality because I went back in time and met Archer?”

“Every decision we make creates an alternate universe where the other options play out. But, we’ve put our heads together, and we’re willing, just this once, to let you go. You see, normally, before the final time leap, we bring people to us. There’s nowhere for them to go; their bodies are about ready to tear themselves apart. But with you, it’s different. You and your people have worked hard to solve the problem the time travel caused. It took hundreds of years, but those Starfleet crews you met worked together and found a way to take you home. So, we’re going to let you go and make the final leap. Your body might survive, and it might not. We’re curious to find out. We sense that you wouldn’t want to remain between the universes with us.”

The words percolated, their meaning sifted out from the sludge of Jim’s thoughts. “I think I’d rather die.”

The tall, blurry person laughed. “Indeed! Indeed, yes, we thought so. So there is one request we’d like to make.”

“Request?”

“If you survive, and there’s no guarantee that you will, return the newer ship to its exact configuration. Remove your interface. It must be returned to the state in which it was found. It’ll sort itself out after that.”

“And the older one?”

“It’ll surely do the same, just like it always does.” The alien voice chuckled. “Maybe. Who knows! Time’s a strange thing. We think we understand its rules, but even after all these lifetimes, we’re still learning.”

Jim’s head hurt too much for the being’s chirpiness.

“Thank you, young man, for providing us with such an entertaining look at our technology. To think it might’ve only taken the collective knowledge of generations to solve our problem. Never mind! This is where we belong now. Best of luck to you. If you don’t make it, it was good while it lasted. You won’t have the strength to rejoin us here. Now, go!”

“ _Voyager_ to Kirk. Do you read us?” Janeway’s voice crackled over the com. “Please respond.”

“Seriously, Jim, answer one of us!” Bones sounded _pissed._ No, worse. He was worried.

The fog receded as suddenly as it had blown in. “Yeah, I’m here.” Just barely. If he didn’t get home soon, he wouldn’t get home at all. He pushed himself up, willed his body to remain in existence. “See you in sickbay.”

Jim’s vision tunnelled down, everything beyond the console under his hands lost. He didn’t have much left to give. He chewed through the inside of his cheek, the tearing of his own flesh and the tang of blood sharpening his mind. He had to hold on. If he passed out, he’d be lost.

“Initiating temporal drive,” the computer said.

Energy flushed out of Jim and into the alien vessel. He fell onto the helm controls. An alert chirped loudly. The ship shot forward into the rapidly widening anomaly. The viewscreen whited out. Jim pushed himself up. He had to stay on course. The alert told him he’d accidentally nudged the ship off its pre-programmed trajectory. Jim put it back on course. He had to keep going. In the distance, he could see his ship. Its silhouette sharpened. It was getting closer. He had to keep going.

Jim coughed. What came out was a mess of blood and digestive acids. The sight made him sick again. The smell slapped him in the face.

“Come on. Come on.”

The ship closed in on the _Enterprise_. The light brightened. It was blinding. He couldn’t keep his eyes open.  Exhaustion saw its moment and claimed him. He slumped back in his chair. He had nothing left to give.

“ _…_ to Kirk _._ Please respond.”

Spock’s voice called out to him. He tried to open his eyes but he couldn’t do it. Just breathing required conscious effort.

“You’re coming in too fast,” Scotty called out. “We cannae beam you out. You need to engage reverse thrusters.”

Engage. Reverse thrusters. What?

“Captain, if you can hear us, you must bring the ship under control,” Spock said calmly. “If you do not, you will hit the _Enterprise_ and cause serious damage.”

In other words, if he didn’t do something, he’d risk injuring his crew.

Jim forced his eyes open. The helm’s controls blinked at him. He couldn’t see clearly enough, but he figured the big red flashing icon had to be something helpful.

“Please be something helpful.”

He smacked his hands down upon it.

“Excellent, Captain. Remain where you are. We will pick you up shortly. Spock to _Voyager._ If you can hear us, Captain Kirk has returned. Thank you for your assistance.”

“Janeway to _Enterprise_. Good to know. And it was an honour to work with you all.”

If the conversation continued, Jim didn’t hear it. He slumped to the side. He fell off the massive chair. The last thing he saw was the deck rushing up to meet him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you Monday for the conclusion :D


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this is the final chapter! I updated last Thursday if you missed it :)

“Bones, come on, I’m fine now, I swear. Let me back on duty.”

“Fine? Is that why you’re wrapped in that blanket?”

“Uh… it’s a little cold?” Jim tried.

“No, you’re mildly feverish. I only released you to quarters because I figured you’d be less annoying,” Bones said. The tricorder in his hand hummed as it scanned Jim. “Your body chemistry is still settling down. I don’t want to put any unnecessary stress on your system. The doctor from the future wasn’t wrong; you really were coming apart at the seams. I want to be sure you won’t accidentally slip through time again.”

“You and the Doctor fixed me. I’m stuck,” Jim said. “Here, I mean. In my space/time continuum where I belong. No more unstuckness for me.”

Bones cocked an eyebrow. “That’s not a word. I should check for damage in the verbal centres of your brain.”

Jim batted the medical scanner away. “I’m fine. We’re only scheduled for routine exploration for the next week. It’s nothing too taxing. I can handle it.”

“Routine exploration my ass. There’s nothing routine about what this ship does. And nothing routine about your little voyage through time. You’re not going on duty until I say so.”

“Fine.” Jim leaned back. “It was incredible. Meeting Archer. Meeting the other us. Meeting those who may go after us.” He met his friend’s gaze. “The other me was so at ease with himself. And then all those future people kept looking at me like I was him, some kind of legend come to life.”

“And that kind of praise didn’t go to your head?”

Jim chuckled. “It got kinda embarrassing, actually. And then they just made me feel like we’re living in the dark ages.” There was a chime at his door. “Come in.”

Spock entered. “Captain, it is good to see you well. Doctor McCoy insisted you were not to be disturbed while you were in sickbay.”

“That’s because he was unconscious most of the time. He needed the sleep. Besides, you Vulcans aren’t exactly the vigil-holding type.”

“You are correct, Doctor. Vulcans do not see the logic in sitting beside an ailing person when their time could be spent more productively. However, humans are less logical, and Lieutenant Uhura suggested I visit.”

“She’s good for you,” Bones said.

“Yes, I believe she is.”

Jim cleared his throat, despite the smile he couldn’t contain. “Are you sure I haven’t created an _alternate_ alternate universe?”

“If you did, Captain, we have no way to tell,” Spock said.

“Does anything feel different?” Bones asked.

“I don’t think so,” Jim said. “But those people I met in the future may ever exist. The Vulcan, Tuvok, hasn’t been born yet. He may never be born. I feel like I’ve undone his existence somehow.”

“You did not undo anything,” Spock said. “This is simply a universe in which he does not exist. The same can be said of us in countless other universes.”

“Which means those people I met may never be born, or may not live the lives I saw.”

“Correct,” Spock said. “But just because they may not do so here, does not change the fact that they have in their universe.”

“I know.” Jim shook himself. “What about the ships?”

“After we returned the time travel device to the ship we found, both disappeared,” Spock said. “To where or when, we cannot say.”

“And the uniform I had on?”

“Destroyed,” Spock said. “Scans suggested it was made of materials not yet found within the Federation.”

“How long will it be ‘til Starfleet foists a wardrobe change on us all?” Bones muttered. 

“Be very, very careful what you wish for,” Jim said. “You should’ve seen the variations I saw.”

“You must not share any details,” Spock said.

“I won’t. Someone might hear us.” Although Jim would forever long for those combadges. So much less cumbersome than their current communicators.

“Unfortunately, we suffered a sudden outage to our communications network. Lieutenant Uhura believes it was caused by our connection with the anomaly and _Voyager_ ,” Spock said. “Starfleet is temporarily out of contact.”

“Oh. No. So sad.” The report Jim had ahead of him was going to invite a lot of questions he didn’t have the energy to answer yet. “Although I was hoping to contact Admiral Archer. He’s been holding out on me.”

“He knew better than to interfere with future events,” Spock said.

“But it’s weird to think he must’ve known who I was the moment he saw me at the Academy,” Jim said. “No wonder he let me walk his dog. Maybe he wanted to make sure I’d get to the point when I’d be able to travel back in time to meet him.” Archer’s knowledge raised so many questions Jim burned to hear the answer to.

“All the more reason you should take this time to rest,” Bones said.

“I feel _fine.”_

“Bullshit, Jim. That time travel almost tore you apart on a cellular level. And I know you have a headache.”

“And I’m sure you have a hypo loaded to deal with it.” Jim resisted the urge to massage his temples. “What about the chroniton radiation?”

“It’s dormant again. While I did get rid of the temporal energy build up causing you to leap through time, I can’t eradicate the chroniton radiation any more than I can eradicate your body’s need for oxygen. It didn’t do you any harm up until now, so I’m not too worried about it. I’ll have to alert Command when communications are restored. All of the _Kelvin_ survivors require testing.”

“Maybe I should tell Mom.” And wouldn’t that be a fun conversation? _Hey, Mom, I met the version of me who knew Dad, and I get the feeling he was less of a pain in the ass than I ever was._

“Like I said, it’s dormant,” Bones said. “It should stay that way, unless we stumble upon any other time travel devices. In which case, you will keep yourself at a distance.”

“I offered to study the unusual and unexpected chroniton residue in your cells, but Doctor McCoy was not keen,” Spock said.

“No, no, no, don’t leave out the entire truth,” Bones said. “We didn’t have time, Jim. Your body was phasing out of time in front of us. It’s a miracle we got you into the anti-chroniton tube in time. After that, your body got what it needed; lots and lots of sleep. We tried waking you, but you didn’t make any sense until yesterday morning.”

Truth was, between piloting the alien ship back through time, and waking up in sickbay days later, Jim remembered nothing. No phasing. No dreams. No further communication with an unknown alien race. Just a large blank.

Bones jabbed a hypo into his neck. The stubborn headache he’d nursed all day dialled back a notch. “There. Now, bed, or I’ll drag you back to sickbay.”

“Aye, sir,” Jim said. The door chimed again. “Come in.”

Chekov stepped in, looking excited and nervous all at once. He held something behind his back. “Keptin, I have something for you.”

“Vodka?” Jim asked hopefully.

“Better!” He produced his item. “Your shirt returned!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this little geeky trip through Star Trek with me! I've had so much fun writing this ^_^


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